Batesian mimicry in snakes: A review of recent field experiments Elapid coral snakes of the Neotropics and Nearctic are highly venomous and frequently brightly coloured, with rings of red, yellow (or white), and black encircling the body

Elapid coral snakes of the Neotropics and Nearctic are highly venomous and frequently brightly coloured, with rings of red, yellow (or white), and black encircling the body (Roze 1996). Predators typically avoid tricolour ringed patterns (Brodie 1993; Brodie & Janzen 1995; Hinman et al. 1997; Pfennig et al. 2001; Harper & Pfennig 2007; Pfennig et al. 2007; Harper & Pfennig 2008; Kikuchi & Pfennig 2010), possibly without prior experience (Smith 1975, 1977). Numerous nonvenomous colubrid snakes of the Neotropics and Nearctic (e.g., kingsnakes and milk snakes) converge on similar tricolour ringed patterns, which has led many to suggest that these snakes are Batesian mimics of coral snakes (reviewed in Greene & McDiarmid 1981; Brodie & Brodie 2004).